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Matt Steichen

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Matt Steichen has been the sports editor at the Farmington Independent and Rosemount Town Pages since 2007. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. He has previously been a sports writer at the Sioux City Journal and Le Mars Daily Sentinel and the sports editor at the Austin Daily Herald.

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The Farmington and Rosemount softball teams escaped the cold spring weather by moving into the Irish Dome for a scrimmage last Wednesday morning. No official score was kept, but the live-game action gave both coaches an opportunity to evaluate their teams and find things they need to work on as they prepare for the upcoming season. "It was a great experience to get out of the gym and play in some game-type situations," Farmington coach Paul Harrington said. "We know we have a lot of improvements to make to get where we want to be by our first game....

The Rosemount boys track team showed depth in the sprints, distance races, jumps and throws Saturday at the St. Thomas Select Meet. The team competed for the first time this season on the 200-meter indoor track after practicing mostly in the gyms and hallways of Rosemount High School the previous two weeks. "We got spoiled last year, but this is Minnesota and our guys are preparing the best they can for the season," Rosemount coach Jay Hatleli said. "The guys are working hard preparing for the upcoming meets.

The Rosemount girls lacrosse team showed it was ready to step out on its own last spring. After playing as a cooperative with Eagan for seven years, the Irish went 9-6 in their first season as a solo program. The returning varsity players blended well with the newcomers who came up from the JV ranks and that cohesiveness helped the Irish excel in close games. They won six of their contests by a combined 10 goals.

The Rosemount baseball team is getting some much-needed time outdoors this week. Twenty-eight players headed for Vero Beach, Fla., Sunday night and will return tomorrow having gotten the chance to practice outside every day and play in eight games -- four each for the varsity and JV. Head coach Chris Swansson liked what he saw from the group during the first week of practice at the Irish Dome, but is looking forward to further evaluating his team in an outdoor setting. "We have 14 seniors this year that we are very excited about with a good mix of underclassmen," he said.

The Rosemount Black Sox town ball team is looking for a new coach and team manager. Duties would include completing the roster, filling out the schedule and coaching the team on the field. Anyone who is interested can call Lance Anderson at 952-210-9942. "We're looking for someone who is a baseball fan, a player or a former coach who is passionate about the game and wants to continue town ball in Rosemount," Anderson said. "A lot of our players are college-age and can't take on the responsibility of organizing the team.

Apple Valley showed why it's the No. 1-ranked team in the state in Friday night's Section 3, Class 4A, championship game. Highly-touted junior guard Tyus Jones set the tone with a steal and a lay-up on the first trip down the court and the Eagles led from start to finish in a 94-63 victory over Rosemount at Burnsville High School. The state-bound Eagles shot 57 percent from the floor, 87 percent from the free-throw line and drilled 10 three-pointers in their 27th straight victory.

With 13 returning varsity players, this year's Rosemount softball team could look a lot like last year's. But head coach Tiffany Rose is hoping an additional year of experience will produce different results. The Irish finished with a record of 6-12 and averaged just two runs per game last season. "The last couple of years our thing has been to get people on base and move them around. We had decent at bats last year and not a ton of strikeouts," Rose said.

Whether it was after Rosemount's five-game losing streak in mid-December, its six-game skid in February or its 40-point home loss in the final game of the regular season, head coach Bryan Schnettler was always quick to point out that his team's primary mission was to be playing its best by the time the Section 3AAAA tournament rolled around. It's that approach that now has Rosemount, after a 7-19 regular season, playing to go to the state tournament tomorrow night in Burnsville.

Another slow start and continued rebounding struggles made for a tough night for Rosemount last Wednesday in the opening round of the Section 3AAAA basketball tournament. The Irish fell behind 13-0 out of the gate, and gave up five baskets on five offensive rebounds, as 10th-ranked Park of Cottage Grove pulled away for a 70-43 victory. The Wolfpack went on to defeat Apple Valley and face No. 2-ranked Eastview in tonight's section finals. "On the defensive side our initial defense was great.

Rosemount's Sam Moeller didn't hang his head after losing a 5-4 heartbreaker in Saturday morning's Class 3A state semifinals. Instead, Moeller returned to the Xcel Energy Center mat to compete in the consolation bracket and scored two major decisions to earn third place at 182 pounds. "He wrestled a quality wrestler and just came up a point short. If they wrestled 10 times they would probably split them," Rosemount coach Brett Larson said. "It was nice to see him rebound after that tough loss.